


hell is other people

by godgaypeen



Category: Day6 (Band), GOT7, 타인은 지옥이다 | Strangers From Hell (TV)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dark, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Masturbation, Mentor/Protégé, Mild Smut, Murder, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Obsession, Seduction to the Dark Side, Smut, Torture, Unhealthy Relationships, Violence, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:46:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28834362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godgaypeen/pseuds/godgaypeen
Summary: Desperate for a place to stay, Kim Wonpil moves into Eden Residence, where he meets charismatic dentist Park Jaehyung.Unbeknownst to him, the dentist has something sinister in the works for his new neighbour.[New chapters are posted every fortnight on Sundays, 10 pm KST unless stated otherwise.]
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Park Jaehyung | Jae, Kim Wonpil & Park Jinyoung (GOT7), Kim Wonpil/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work involves a lot of graphic content that may cause discomfort, please take note of the tags before reading. As this fic has questionable characters and even more questionable actions, I'm obligated to mention that I do not condone their behaviour, nor do I wish for the real-life counterparts to be as dark and horrible as the characters in this.

There was a taxi parked in front of the building opposite Eden Residence, and this was quite peculiar as this part of town was usually quiet, desolate even. It rarely saw any visitors in general, much less the kind of visitors who showed up in a taxi. What was even more peculiar was the scrawny young man who clambered out of the car with a large, black suitcase. His voice was too soft to be heard clearly as there was a significant distance between the man and the ones watching him, but one of the onlookers assumed he was thanking the taxi driver judging from the way he bowed and watched as the taxi pulled away moments later.

Once the taxi drove off, the young man (dark-haired, barely above average height) began to drag his luggage bag along, only to halt in his tracks when the sound of something metallic snapping could be heard. He immediately crouched to check the conditions of his bag, cursing loudly (“fucking piece of shit bag, stupid fuck”) before grabbing the top handle of the suitcase, begrudgingly carrying it across the street before he disappeared into the building.

“You didn’t tell me we’re having a new tenant.” Park Jaehyung pointed out almost accusingly, turning to the kindly older woman standing next to him with a raised eyebrow. The two were on the rooftop of the building that the young man had entered moments prior, their position giving them a perfect view of the street.

“I… wasn’t expecting a newcomer, either.” The woman, Mrs. Eom, responded, looking a bit flustered under the tall man’s unwavering gaze. She was the landlady of Eden Residence where Jae lived, as well as being some sort of a motherly figure to him, but he would rather die than reveal that particular piece of information to her so willingly. She had enough of a saviour complex as it is, her shared long history with the other residents making her view them as her children for she had none of her own.

Jaehyung – he preferred to be called Jae actually, as he was not a big fan of his full name – was a wildly handsome man with hair a light shade of blonde, and he was tall enough to easily tower over anyone in a crowd. He found it strangely endearing how the young man was so kind to the driver yet he had a short temper highlighted by the array of colourful expletives that fell from his lips so easily, like lyrics from an all-too-familiar song. It was refreshing to see as men with bad tempers were usually depicted as mean-looking and unattractive, resembling actual pigs more often than not. Although Jae could not really get a good look at the stranger, he was almost completely certain that he was not ugly or anything like that. _There are enough ugly men living in this place, let this one be an exception should he choose to stay_ , Jae thought to himself, wondering if he could head downstairs to take a closer look at his potential new plaything.

“What an adorable young man, don’t you think?” Mrs. Eom glanced at Jae with a wide smile, to which he replied with his own version of a smile; a creepy spread of his pink lips, enough to show a little bit of teeth. No one ever dared to mention it to his face, but those who were on the receiving end of his smiles often quietly took note of how unnatural it was. Those who did dare… well, they did not live very long, ending up six feet underground due to odd circumstances that could not be traced back to him.

“Hmm.” was his only reply.

Adorable? Sure, from what he could see in his current position but as aforementioned, Jae would need to take a closer look to be sure. He intended to, of course, as he does with all potential residents of Eden Residence, yet he felt as if there was a certain _edge_ to this young man. His every step seemed heavy like a weary man who faced and overcame every misfortune that the world had to offer. Judging by the fact that he had somehow wound up at the doorstep of Eden Residence, the world must have been cruel to him before. This was no place for anyone that was not as desperate as previous tenants or a degenerate like Jae. The blonde was eager to find out which category this newcomer belonged to. 

“Do me a favour, Mrs. Eom,” Jae began to say, his voice a soft yet commanding murmur. “Make sure he takes this offer, lower the rent if you have to. I have a feeling I will be having a lot of fun with this one, he’s special.”

The landlady did not mask her astonishment, blurting out a surprised “Really?” before replacing it with an uncertain look of agreement. “Y- Yes, I will, but… are you sure? You haven’t forgotten about Youngh-”

“How dare you mention his name to me,” Jae growled, a harsh reaction towards the thought of _him_ , the one who could have painted the world red with blood by his side. A constant reminder of his greatest failure. “Do you have a death wish?”

“Oh!” Mrs. Eom laughed nervously, shrinking away from him just a little, not discreet enough to go unnoticed though. He did not take this to heart, well-aware of his effect on others, especially those who knew exactly what he was capable of. “Of course not!”

“You know me, I never mean to offend you.” She continued by waving it off, hoping that Jae would simply ignore it. Unfortunately for him, any mention of Kang Younghyun prompted a trip down memory lane, reminding Jae of a time he did not wish to recall. 

-

_Park Jaehyung stood on the rooftop with Mrs. Eom, watching a different person this time._

_Young, full of disdain towards the universe that seemed to throw one misfortune after the other towards him, and yet… Kang Younghyun walked with purpose towards the entrance of the building, head held high despite having the right amount of desperation to even consider living in such a shady residence; a shithole, yes, but it was a place that Jae fondly called his home._

_Perhaps he was too submerged in poverty to care about the less-than-stellar conditions of Eden Residence, Jae thought to himself. It did not matter much, as Jae was simply glad to be given the opportunity to ‘play’ again. It had begun to be unbearably boring to live with the other residents, all of them made from the same mould of insanity as he was, so newcomer meant that he had something to entertain himself with._

_Of course, there was a part of him that whispered reluctance into his mind, sending unwelcomed messages of doubt and uncertainty. His work was very close to his heart – well, if he had one, anyway – and he was not looking forward to committing to someone who was less_ _than perfect as his new project. Jae preferred precise, calculated moves that could ensnare his targets before they caught wind of the twistedness that lay just beneath his skin. Something told him that he did not want this one to be just another victim, another forgotten soul entangled in the sinister activities taking place in Eden Residence. If he played his cards right, Kang Younghyun could be his greatest masterpiece, and he was not anxious to screw that up._

_“I think we’ll be needing Room 303 for a new guest, Mrs. Eom,” Jae commented, his eyes never leaving his new plaything until he disappeared into the building. “Perhaps you should head down to greet him.”_

_Mrs. Eom began to smile wickedly, always in a great mood whenever an unsuspecting newcomer arrived at Eden Residence. “How lovely! I can offer him the new coffee packets I bought from the store down the street.” She remarked happily as she headed to the door that led downstairs._

_Jae watched as the door shut behind her, a smile slowly creeping onto his face._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work involves a lot of graphic content that may cause discomfort, please take note of the tags before reading. As this fic has questionable characters and even more questionable actions, I'm obligated to mention that I do not condone their behaviour, nor do I wish for the real-life counterparts to be as dark and horrible as the characters in this.

Kim Wonpil stared at the door labelled ‘EDEN RESIDENCE’ in apparent dismay.

For a place that was named after a biblical reference, one would think that it would look less like an absolute dump and more like a home, somewhere that anyone, even those with somewhat high standards, would also consider moving into. Then again, with an almost too-good-to-be-true price listing like what he saw in the newspaper ad about this residence, Wonpil knew better than to expect too much from it. It was too hopeful of him to even dream of decent air-conditioning if he were to stay here, it seemed. 

_As if I even have a choice_ , Wonpil grumbled to himself, glancing around to observe the entrance of the place. The entire exterior of the building looked as if it badly needed a paint job, and so did the inside, he had noted as he climbed up the stairs, lugging his suitcase to the third floor. Even by staring at the closed door leading to the residential office and the men’s floor, Wonpil could feel the dread washing over him in persistent waves as he prepared himself to knock on the door.

He had to give this place a chance though, considering the fact that Eden Residence was the last place Wonpil had on his list, and it was marginally the best choice he had at the moment compared to the other expensive options he had been to earlier in the day. If he was going to continue his Master’s in Psychology and still have enough funds to have decent meals and other necessities, he was going to have to put aside all of his doubts about this place. 

“Doesn’t mean I won’t fucking hate it here, though.” Wonpil hissed aloud, just as he heard the heavy sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Turning to the source of the noise, the young man caught sight of a kindly woman in her 60’s with dark curly hair, dressed in a somewhat atrocious flowery pink top. _She seems friendly, I hope she didn’t hear what I said_ , Wonpil thought nervously to himself.

The woman smiled as she saw him hovering near the door. “Are you thinking of staying at Eden Residence, young man?” She asked him, her smile never wavering. It was a bit creepy, to be honest, and it reminded him of his mother; not in a good way.

Wonpil nodded politely. “You must be the landlady, yes?”

“That I am! I’m Mrs. Eom.” She laughed heartily. Wonpil was not quite sure what was so funny about that, but he decided not to dwell on it too much. “Oh my, what an adorable young man you are! Come, come, let me show you around.”

The landlady moved towards the door, squeezing past Wonpil, whose nose wrinkled involuntarily as he whiffed a mixture of herbal tea and some weird coppery smell. She opened the door and gestured for Wonpil to follow her into the place.

The first thing Wonpil noticed as they entered was the tiny reception office, where he assumed was where Mrs. Eom spent most of her time during the day, evidenced by the pile of romance novels and an abandoned cup of tea on the desk. It looked tolerable enough, but Wonpil was unprepared for the long stretch of the hallway that looked straight out of a horror movie. It was dark, so poorly lit that Wonpil could barely see the doors that led to the rooms on both sides of the hallway; he dreaded imagining what this place would look like at night.

“Most of the rooms are occupied right now, but Room 303 is free.” Mrs. Eom said, walking ahead of him towards the room. “Sorry it is so dark, we don’t really get good lighting during the day, but the lights are functional at night, so don’t worry your pretty little head about that.”

“Uh…” Wonpil swallowed nervously as he followed closely behind her, wondering if she had read his mind. “That’s fine, I can live with that. What can you tell me about the people who live here?”

Standing outside of Room 303, Mrs. Eom turned back to look at Wonpil inquisitively, catching sight of the uncertainty he so poorly tried to hide, and smiled _. Why does she smile so much?_ “Oh, we only have good men in Eden Residence! Your next-door neighbour is a handsome young dentist, and the- Ah, here he is now!” She explained, positively beaming at a tall man at the end of the hallway, back where the reception office was. To be completely honest, when she said he was handsome, Wonpil had completely low expectations of the guy, no gorgeous man would live in such a place like this, but holy shit, handsome was an understatement.

The handsome young dentist in question looked at least 6 feet tall, with silky blonde hair, a generously slender figure, and what seemed to be the palest and smoothest skin Wonpil had ever seen. This man was either a vampire or someone who took very good care of his skin, and at this point, the darker-haired man was not too sure which statement was true. _Well, it was obviously the latter, but if vampires existed, the dentist would be who I’d suspect first_ , Wonpil joked to himself. He was dressed in a plain white T-shirt and dark jeans, yet the way he carried himself made him look like he could easily command a room.

As the stranger walked down the hallway, Wonpil noticed that he never took his eyes off him and Mrs. Eom, but as he grew closer, Wonpil realized that the tall man was actually looking at him specifically. This amount of eye contact would make anyone uncomfortable, but funnily enough, Wonpil did not seem to mind; in fact, he could not look away, too intrigued by the mysterious man to notice the wide smile upon Mrs. Eom’s face.

Even as the man brushed past both Wonpil and Mrs. Eom, Wonpil merely watched the taller man unlock the door to Room 304 and disappear inside without a word, the door shutting behind him with a resounding click. _What the hell was that_ , Wonpil thought to himself, _it’s as if you’ve never seen a tall, handsome guy before!_

“He seems friendly,” Wonpil remarked with a twinge of sarcasm, but any and all implied snark went over the landlady’s head completely.

“Yes, he’s wonderful!” Mrs. Eom had managed to unlock the door to Room 303, pushing the door open wide enough for him to inspect. “Here we go, take as long as you’d like to look at the room.”

Ah, yikes. The room was horrendously tiny, like a matchbox, comprised of a most-likely very uncomfortable bed, a desk that seemed to have collected months' worth of dust, and a couple of less-than-sturdy hooks on the wall opposite the bed. The window – if he could even call it that – was painfully small, where only a bit of sunlight could shine through, and it looked as if it could not even be opened. Wonpil could already imagine how suffocating it would be to spend his nights here, and paired with the broken air-conditioning, the thought of staying at Eden Residence made him feel less inclined to take the offer. All of these flaws put together were red flags, little sirens blaring in Wonpil’s head telling him to decline and get the hell out of this rinky-dink place, but something (desperation, really) reminded him of his current predicament. This was the most affordable place he could find, it was not like he had the liberty to be picky with where he would stay.

A long, drawn-out “Hmm…” was all Wonpil could reply with, as the other responses he had in mind were “fuck no” and “who could ever live in a place like this”. Once again, he was reminded that he was in no position to reject this place instantly.

“I- I know it’s not much,” Mrs. Eom spoke up. “But you aren’t planning on staying here too long, right?”

Wonpil nodded, glancing at the landlady. “Only until the university housing department fixes my problem, yeah.” The head of student residential management, a sleazy older man who looked like moldy cheese, completely despised him after a not-so-friendly fight outside of a bar (the dude had harassed Wonpil’s friend, and Wonpil had merely stepped in with a fist to the fucker’s face), and he was convinced that man may have had something to do with his situation right now.

“Well, I hope you’ll consider this offer, there are not many places out there with the same price range as this.” Mrs. Eom continued with yet another smile of hers. She was right, though, there was no other place that offered rent any cheaper than this, and yet Wonpil still had half a mind to turn it down. Perhaps he needed some time to ponder, definitely over some beer, because this was not a decision he thought he could ever make while sober.

-

Wonpil found himself in a nearby restaurant, two cans of beer (both opened) placed on his table as he alternated between bites of fried chicken and sips of his drink. Earlier, he had noticed a group of teenage girls a few tables over, giggling at the sight of him seated alone in the corner of the dimly-lit restaurant, and he had the urge to glare at them as he overheard them talking loudly about ‘the cute lonely guy’. He was already as miserable as any human could be, the least he could wish for was one quiet meal by himself.

Once he had finished his meal, Wonpil wiped his hands and grabbed his phone off the table. He read the message from his childhood friend and former roommate ( **JINYOUNG:** if you really don’t like the place, I could sneak you in on weekends, like a sleepover :3), before searching for Mrs. Eom’s contact that he obtained from her before he left the place, and he pressed the call button.

Mrs. Eom picked up after two rings. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mrs. Eom, I came by earlier? Listen, about Room 303…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to bookmark/subscribe to stay updated on the latest chapters! You can also follow my writing account on Twitter (@wonpilesques).


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work involves a lot of graphic content that may cause discomfort, please take note of the tags before reading. As this fic has questionable characters and even more questionable actions, I'm obligated to mention that I do not condone their behaviour, nor do I wish for the real-life counterparts to be as dark and horrible as the characters in this.
> 
> CW: violence, torture, implied violence, implied torture, tooth extraction, breaching of privacy, voyeurism, slightly sexual content

“What do we have here?”

Jae pulled his portable stool towards the dental chair, where his current ‘patient’ was strapped into place with strong duct tape binding his wrists to the armrests and his legs together (most likely the handiwork of Byun Deuksoo, the more competent Byun twin). The ‘patient’ was a tenant of Eden Residence, having moved in two weeks before Wonpil, and unfortunately for the man, he was not destined for long life. Not after Jae was done with him, of course.

“Hmm…” Jae forcefully pried the barely conscious man’s mouth open, eyeing the conditions of his teeth using a mouth mirror and a small flashlight. It was quite dark in the room located on the women’s floor of Eden Residence, but he supposed he had to make do with what he could. “Strong set of teeth, might be a bit tough to work with, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem for me.”

The man struggled weakly against his restraints, finally realising what was about to happen to him, but it was to no avail. He was at the mercy of the sadistic dentist, and there was no escape. The poor man could only watch with wide, panicked eyes as Jae reached for one of the extraction forceps he had previously arranged on a tray, the latter turning to him with a wide smile as he held the forceps in hand.

“Were you hoping for anaesthetics? You must be joking.” Jae spoke, putting on a surgical face mask with his gloved hands. The man continued to struggle, squirming in his seat and attempting to cry out, but hours of being gagged and teased mercilessly by one of the Byun twins beforehand had left his throat sore and his voice too hoarse.

“Stay still or I’ll rip your tongue out once I’m done with you.” Jae snarled, grabbing the man’s jaw with one hand. He complied instantaneously, his movements halted and his mouth clamping shut at such a threat, whimpering softly like a wounded animal. Moments later, Jae sniffed the air, detecting the telltale whiff of piss coming from the ‘patient’; sure enough, Jae’s suspicions were confirmed as he shone his flashlight to check, and there was a growing patch of dampness in the crotch area of the man’s jeans.

“God, that’s disgusting, are you that terrified? Come on, open your mouth, this will all be over within an hour.”

-

Once he was done, Jae found himself on the rooftop again, a can of beer in his hand.

Jae often spent his time there whenever he could; at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise before he headed out to the clinic, and even at night before he went to bed. The rooftop gave him some sort of comfort, a quiet place for him to be completely alone with his thoughts, a chance to entertain himself with fresh air when the small, cramped-up room of his seemed all-too suffocating. The dentist secretly fancied himself as the king of this little secluded area when he was up there, looking down at the people walking in the streets, going about their normal, boring lives in their normal, boring ways.

Standing there on the rooftop, Jae felt like some sort of a predator, carefully watching out for his next prey from a distance; a shark, a lion, a wolf, an eagle… he was all of them at once, superior to the worthless creatures that surrounded him. Humans were some strange type of predators too, but he had never thought of himself as human, not once in his entire life. _What kind of human hunts others like they were merely prey and nothing more?_

Ah, speaking of prey – his mind wandered towards Kim Wonpil, his new neighbour in Room 303. Jae had not spoken to him yet, but he found out some basic information from Mrs. Eom; Kim Wonpil, in his mid-20s, doing his Master’s in Psychology at a nearby university. Not much to work with, but Jae had scrutinised the poor guy from afar in an almost surgical manner, careful not to poke and prod too hard as this was a delicate matter, needing the kind of precision that only Jae could do.

From what he had gathered so far, he was thrilled to confirm that Wonpil seemed to be a potential kindred spirit, the little human so full of compressed rage and undiluted despair that it would be easy to push him off the edge, never to return in the same state of mind ever again. The younger man had not suspected anything about the residence yet, and Jae would like to keep it that way for as long as he stayed in Room 303. He knew that with just the adequate amount of nudges in the right direction, Wonpil could be exactly what the dentist wanted him to be, something he could never achieve with-

The blonde man sucked in a hiss of breath, cursing silently in his mind. _Why must you enter my thoughts even in times like this?_ Since Wonpil’s arrival, Jae had found himself thinking about Kang Younghyun more often, and this infuriated him deeply. He had been doing so well up until recently, neatly locking up most of his anger and disappointment towards the man into a small box in the back of his mind, yet little-by-little Younghyun managed to escape and haunt his every move, terrorize his every thought. Hell, sometimes Jae found him in his dreams, a ghostly face that caused immense unease in the night, someone he missed and hated at the same time if that was even possible.

“To hell with you, _jagiya_ ,” Jae spoke out loud, knocking back the last of his beer. If he was going to stew in his memories of that bastard, he sure as hell needed to be a little drunk for it. Wonpil was different from Younghyun, he was sure of it. For one, he seemed to be a lot more downtrodden than the latter, a possibly emotionally unstable young man constantly on the brink of snapping, something Younghyun wasn’t. Sure, both men were victims of their circumstances, but Younghyun was _weak_ , always giving in to his emotions whenever someone was watching, whereas Wonpil was a ticking time-bomb, someone who was a little bit too good at swallowing his emotions until he was truly alone.

Perhaps that was where he went wrong; Younghyun was too dependent on others, not the kind of lone wolf that Jae (and perhaps Wonpil) was.

-

_The peephole in the wall between Room 303 and 304 was no accident, and Jae was always grateful for the opportunities he got whenever someone moved into the room next door. It gave him the liberty to observe his unsuspecting prey in their element, oftentimes watching them as they sleep; so vulnerable, so oblivious to the hungry eyes that never lingered away from them. The act of watching someone the way he did provided a rush of giddiness that came with something so inappropriate, something that breached every aspect of one’s personal space in a way that made him feel like he had power over them. The peephole was more of an intimate, first-row seat to knowing who they are, and in Younghyun’s case, it allowed Jae to freely keep an eye on his future successor._

_The first night since Younghyun moved into Room 303, Jae had watched him as he slept for a while, opting to go to bed once he had his fill. As interesting as it was, the blonde was not too keen on eyeing the rise and fall of Younghyun’s chest and listening to his soft snores for hours at a time. In the morning, Jae was awakened by the horrific beeping alarm from Younghyun’s phone, an atrocious ringtone that blared thanks to the paper-thin walls that separated the two of them._

_Jae watched closely as the younger man rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his hair was slightly disheveled in a somewhat appealing way. He drank in how attractive Younghyun looked with his loose grey t-shirt and sleep shorts that showed off his milky thighs. Already Jae could feel himself warming up to the idea of Younghyun as his true partner in crime, and this got the tall man a little excited for what’s to come._

_About two weeks after Younghyun’s arrival at Eden Residence, Jae stumbled onto something rather unexpected from his new neighbour. It was rare that anyone could surprise the ever-vigilant dentist, but it seemed that his new plaything was unconsciously determined to get his attention, to keep him intrigued lest he became distracted by a new target. Oh, he got it, alright._

_Jae had not planned on watching Younghyun that night, not too keen on doing anything other than resting after having a dreadfully long day at the dental clinic. The blonde had just sat down at the desk when he heard a sound coming from Room 303, so soft that he could have sworn he had imagined it._

_He shook his head, attempting to dispel the noise as his mind playing tricks on him, but there it was again, slightly louder this time. Enough for him to know for sure that it sounded like a groan, enough for him to straighten up in his seat, curious as to what was going on with Younghyun._

_Not one for hesitation, the dentist stood up and approached the wall, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked through the peephole, wanting to see if the other man was alright. “Oh…?”_

_Younghyun had slipped his sleep shorts off and was presently masturbating on his bed, a hand wrapped around his hardened cock and another that was balled into a fist pressed against his mouth, clearly to keep from making a sound. He wasn’t doing a very good job at being quiet, but he seemed too blissed out to care about noise control, anyway._

_Jae was rooted to the spot, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he continued to watch, his gaze following each desperate stroke of Younghyun’s left hand. He could not look away, too bewitched to even notice the slight bulge appearing at the front of his pants, possibly too engrossed to even care. The dentist kept listening to the muffled pants and whines that fell from Younghyun’s lips, the latter unaware of the onlooker that watched with bated breath as he kept at his steady pace, stroking and stroking and stroking until-_

_Jae moved away from the wall, tearing his gaze away from the peephole. His eyes fluttered shut and his breathing slightly laboured, the blonde was taken by surprise at the audacity of his new neighbour. Surely he knew how thin the walls were, how anything louder than a whisper could easily be heard? Was he that shameless, or was this completely intentional?_

-

Later on, when Jae had settled in for bed and waited for the soft tendrils of sleep to claim him, his thoughts naturally gravitated back to Wonpil. From what he had seen earlier through the peep-hole, the dark-haired man had tucked himself to bed about thirty minutes ago and had fallen asleep soundly since then, his back pressed to the wall and his whole body curled up like an armadillo. It was kind of cute, to be honest.

Jae wanted to meet him – properly, at least. The small moment of eye contact in the hallway and the times he watched the younger man from afar did not count; Jae wanted to truly observe him, he needed to start cracking him open. For someone as detached, cold, and calculative as Jae, one would not expect him to crave social interaction as much as this. This shithole was a little too much like a prison for him to fully enjoy himself as the other residents did, but with the presence of Wonpil, he could begin to play with his food again, to toy with the newcomer’s state of mind. Jae could not do that without talking to him though, thus he decided that he would approach the younger man soon.

So, when Wonpil got up to head to the showers the next morning, a small bucket of toiletries in hand and a towel slung over his shoulder, Jae quickly got up and crossed the tiny room to the door. His hand was on the doorknob, ready to twist it open as soon as he heard Wonpil leave his room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work involves a lot of graphic content that may cause discomfort, please take note of the tags before reading. As this fic has questionable characters and even more questionable actions, I'm obligated to mention that I do not condone their behaviour, nor do I wish for the real-life counterparts to be as dark and horrible as the characters in this.

Wonpil had just closed the door to his room when he heard the door to Room 304 opening, meaning that the ‘handsome young dentist’ was on his way out as well. Not very eager to have an awkward interaction with anyone this early in the morning before a shower, the dark-haired man tried to find a way to avoid his new neighbour, but of course, the universe had other plans for him.

“Oh, hello.” The man from Room 304 greeted Wonpil warmly, a stark contrast to their brief interaction on the day he moved into the residence. His voice was low and he nodded his head gracefully, which fitted quite well with the whole ‘tall, mysterious and handsome’ vibes he had going on for him. Even if Mrs. Eom had not mentioned the man’s occupation, Wonpil would have guessed something within the medical field, as he carried himself the same way other medical experts did. “Heading to shower, _jagi_?” 

“Huh? Oh, y-yeah, I am.” Wonpil smiled awkwardly, taken aback by the term of endearment used by the other man. _Did he just-_ A small frown appeared on his face. _Why did he call me ‘babe’ within three seconds of officially meeting each other…?_

“I’m Jae.” The blonde said with a charming smile, his hand outstretched for a handshake, which Wonpil took with a hint of hesitance. Jae’s hand was a bit cold, something unexpected to the younger man, considering the lack of proper air conditioning in the residence, but he paid no further mind to it.

A little too late, Wonpil realised that he had not responded with his name, having stared at the other man. _Why am I so awkward around this guy_ , he grumbled to himself, _I wonder if he thinks I’m weird_. “I’m Wonpil, its nice to meet you.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely name.” Jae offered him a smile, one that seemed sincere. “Have you met the other residents yet, Wonpil-ssi?” Ugh, even the way he said Wonpil’s name made the dark-haired man feel as if he was gently floating on fluffy clouds or something like that. The last thing Wonpil needed was him developing a tiny crush on his mysterious neighbour. 

“Only saw the twins last night, didn’t really talk to them,” Wonpil said, unsure if he should bring up the tenant in Room 313. On his way to the common bathroom to brush his teeth the night before, Wonpil noticed that the door to Room 313 was left wide open, and in the dark, he could see a desktop computer displaying a rather disturbing porn video. He was not quite sure if anyone was inside the room at the time, but it made him feel unsettled enough to hurry into the bathroom, eager to shake off the unease that rolled over him like waves. Wonpil had hoped that the rest of the residents were not as blatantly disgusting as the Porn Guy from Room 313, and with the presence of Jae in the residence, he was a little comforted. _Maybe it’s just that one guy who was weird, that’s all…_

“I’d be careful if I were you, some of the residents here are a bit… odd.” Jae lowered his voice slightly as if worried that someone could overhear him. _What the hell_ , Wonpil thought to himself, _was he reading my mind or something?_

“Are the people here that bad?” Wonpil asked in a hushed whisper, to which Jae chuckled, waving it off with a wide smile.

“Why do you sound so concerned? It’s not that bad, we’ve had our fair share of creeps here, but everyone is mostly harmless. We used to have a lot of foreigners from South East Asia, like the funny Thai guy who lived in Room 302, but they usually move out after a while.” Jae explained, attempting to dispel Wonpil’s doubts about the residence.

The dark-haired man nodded at Jae’s explanation, wondering if ‘mostly harmless’ included the man from Room 313. “That’s good to know. I’m only here for a short while, though, so I doubt anything interesting will happen.”

“Ah, what a shame,” Jae said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe it’s a bit selfish of me, but I was hoping you’d stick around longer. I feel like we are kindred spirits, you and I.”

 _Huh?_ “How… How so?”

“Oh, um…” Jae looked away in an almost bashful manner. “I think we are somewhat similar, in some ways. If you know what I mean.”

Wonpil had no clue what he could mean by that since they seemed to be quite different in personality and all, and Wonpil was drawing blanks on anything of significance. Unless… _Is he gay too?_ _Maybe that was what he meant_ , he thought to himself, though still quite uncertain. “Yeah, I- I guess so…” He replied, and an awkward silence shrouded over the two for a long moment.

“Well, I shouldn’t stop you from your shower any longer, you’ll be needing to head out soon, no?” Jae clasped his hands together, looking expectantly at the younger man.

“Huh?” Wonpil frowned, completely forgetting about the little bucket of toiletries in his hand. “Oh, right, I should go.” He lifted the bucket slightly, a sign that he really should excuse himself. “It was nice meeting you.”

Jae smiled widely at Wonpil. “Likewise.”

-

After a much-welcomed quick shower, Wonpil realised that he would need to hurry if he was going to make it to his 10 am class without rushing too much. Making his way back to his room, Wonpil abruptly stopped in his tracks when he came face-to-face with a stocky, bespectacled man in a grimy-looking tank top staring right at him. What freaked the poor guy out, even more, was the fact that he was standing right in front of Room 313, the one with the porn video playing onscreen from the previous night. Immediately, this set off a bunch of alarms in Wonpil’s mind as this man completely exuded an aura of untrustworthiness, as if he had a neon sign with the word ‘CREEP’ over his head.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Wonpil glared at him, gripping his bucket of toiletries so hard that it caused his knuckles to turn white. The man did not answer, simply continuing to stare at the younger man with an unreadable expression. This was beginning to piss him off, to be honest. “What the fuck is your problem, you little sh-”

“Room 303!” Wonpil quickly averted his eyes from the other man, his head turned to the sound of the voice, recognising it as Mrs. Eom. She stood at the doorway of the reception office, that same creepy smile still plastered on her otherwise kindly face. “I thought I heard your voice- Oh, I see you’ve just met Mr. Hong, how lovely!”

 _Did she not hear anything I just said?_ “Yes, though he doesn’t seem too friendly,” Wonpil responded through gritted teeth, still quite wary of the man, who headed back into his room once he realised they were no longer alone.

“I suppose he isn’t… Are you heading to class, young man?” Mrs. Eom asked. “You know, I made some iced coffee if you want, you can have it before you leave!”

“Oh, um-” Before Wonpil could string together the words to decline her offer, the muffled sound of his phone rang from inside his room. Someone was calling him, it seemed. “I- I’m sorry, I have to take the phone call.”

Without waiting for an answer, the dark-haired man quickly headed inside his room, slamming the door shut behind him. He set his toiletries down onto the desk and unplugged his charging phone, glancing at the screen.

Wonpil frowned at the ‘Caller ID: Mom’ displayed on his phone, declining the call and tossing his phone onto the bed. “Not in the mood for that right now.” He sighed loudly and closed his eyes, attempting to shake the feeling of unease. His mood had soured completely by then, thanks to Mr. Hong, the Porn Guy from Room 313. _What the hell was he doing, staring at me like that?_

Normally, Wonpil was not the type to make such quick and prejudiced assumptions about others, but this particular guy seemed so creepy, so full of ‘bad vibes’ that he could not help but to feel wary around him. Mr. Hong was the type of person with such a punchable face, the kind of guy that made women walk faster at night if their paths crossed. He reminded Wonpil of the head of student residential management, the sleazy one who had harassed Wonpil’s friend.

 _He must be one of the creeps Jae mentioned before_ , Wonpil mused. Perhaps if he kept his head down, avoided the Porn Guy from Room 313 and everyone else who resided there, he could have a nice and quiet time staying at Eden Residence. _Well, maybe not everyone, though…_

Wonpil thought of Jae, his handsome dentist of a neighbour. Something about the man intrigued him; what kind of good-looking man with a stable job would live in a residence like this? He was sure that the taller man was a decent guy and wondered if the two could be friends while he lived there, or acquaintances at the very least. _Don’t worry about it, just get ready for class_ , he reminded himself, already running a bit late thanks to the creepy Mr. Hong.

-

Soon enough, Wonpil was ready to leave, all of the class-related materials in his bag and his phone fully charged. As a precaution, he slowly stuck his head out of his room, watching out for the man in Room 313. Once he was certain that the coast was clear, Wonpil headed out with a relieved sigh, unaware of the pair of watchful eyes that followed his every move.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work involves a lot of graphic content that may cause discomfort, please take note of the tags before reading. As this fic has questionable characters and even more questionable actions, I'm obligated to mention that I do not condone their behaviour, nor do I wish for the real-life counterparts to be as dark and horrible as the characters in this.

_He’s angry today_ , Jae thought to himself as he watched Wonpil storm into the common kitchen area, the younger man stomping around emanating an immense amount of annoyance that rolled off of him in waves. Jae had been enjoying some fried chicken from a nearby restaurant when Wonpil came in, and this immediately drew his attention away from his food as he had not seen his precious target since morning. He kind of missed him, to be honest.

“Are you alright?” Jae spoke up, to which Wonpil flinched and nearly dropped his mug in shock. It seemed that he did not notice Jae’s presence beforehand, too preoccupied with whatever that made him so infuriated that day to realise.

“Fucking shit-” The dark-haired man clutched his chest, eyes wide at the sight of Jae. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“Not long,” Jae answered simply, calmly taking a bite from his drumstick. “Are you okay?”

Wonpil sighed heavily as he placed his mug down on the counter. “I think the people here are fucking insane.”

_Well, he caught on quite fast_ , Jae remarked with a barely-suppressed smile, _a lot faster than Younghyun did, that’s for sure_. “Oh?”

The other man seemed to misinterpret Jae’s facial expression as hurt, quickly apologizing for his comment on the residents. “Not- Not you, of course, but like, everyone else! Especially that fucking pervert- God, don’t you just want to punch him in that stupid face of his?” Wonpil hissed as he poured some water from a slightly rusted kettle into his mug.

“The guy from Room 313? Yeah, sometimes.” Jae shrugged. Sure, he himself was grossed out by Mr. Hong and his strange addiction to pornography, but unfortunately, he was the most competent killer in Eden Residence, so it was not like he could just throw him out and depend on the Byun twins and Mrs. Eom alone. “He seems to have no shame.”

“Right?” Wonpil replied enthusiastically, nodding along to Jae’s words. “Such a creep, I don’t know how anyone could comfortably live with that kind of person here.”

_Perhaps it’s because everyone here is some sort of creep sharing a home_ , Jae thought to himself in amusement. _Well, almost everyone_.

-

_Somewhat similar to Jae’s night encounter with Wonpil, he was already seated at the table with a half-eaten bag of chips and an opened can of beer in front of him when Younghyun came into the common kitchen. He took note of the fact that the younger man was wearing another loose t-shirt and sleep shorts like what he wore that night when he was masturb- The blond man shook his borderline perverted thoughts away, preferring not to recall that one particular night._

_Anyway, Jae wondered if this was what Younghyun would typically wear to sleep, as it was the second time he saw him in this kind of clothing. For some strange reason, this thought was quite endearing, comforting even. It showed that Younghyun was accustomed enough to live in Eden Residence that he dressed comfortably._

_“Oh hi, Jae.” Younghyun greeted him first with a wide smile, moving to grab one of the paper cups near the almost always half-full water dispenser. Jae doubted that Mrs. Eom ever bothered to fill it up at all. “Late-night snacks?”_

_He confirmed Younghyun’s inquiry with a curt nod. “Have you eaten?” Jae’s voice sounded slightly hopeful, as if Younghyun would be inclined to come over and spend some time with him. Perhaps he wanted him to do exactly that, it would allow him to get closer to the man._

_“Yeah, I have,” Younghyun replied as he began to fill his paper cup up with water. “What kind of chips are those?”_

_“Would you like some?” Jae lifted the bag of chips off the table and held it out towards Younghyun in an enthusiastic manner, to which the latter shook his head, patting his stomach a few times in response._

_“I’m sure it’s nice, but I’m super full tonight. I had dinner with a childhood friend earlier.” Younghyun explained apologetically. Jae merely gritted his teeth, wondering if it would be possible for this childhood friend of his to simply ‘disappear’ somehow for interfering with his plans._

_Feeling as if there was not much to say, Younghyun turned to leave with the paper cup in hand. Much too loudly and much too desperately, Jae quickly blurted out, “Do you want to sit and chat for a bit?”_

_Younghyun looked at him quizzically, certainly caught off-guard by Jae’s outburst. “It would be nice to get to know each other a little bit, no? After all, we are next-door neighbours…” Jae continued, practically floundering with each word._

_From the way Younghyun bit his lip in hesitation, Jae was almost convinced that he had lost Younghyun with his pathetic desperation, until-_

_“Yeah, sure. I’ve got nothing much to do, anyway.”_

-

“Listen, I know we barely know each other, but can I join you for a while?” Wonpil’s soft voice tore the dentist away from his involuntary trip down memory lane. He looked at Jae expectantly, yet the latter barely heard what he had said moments prior. 

“Huh?”

Wonpil gestured vaguely towards Jae and his fried chicken, looking slightly comical as he does so. “I mean, can I sit with you? I don’t really want to sit in the room alone, and you seem really nice, so I want to accompany you while you eat. Is that okay?”

Jae blinked at him, almost unresponsive at first but he managed to compose himself immediately. “Oh, um, y- yeah, of course!”

“Great!” Wonpil responded cheerily, sinking into the seat opposite Jae with his mug in hand. “Oooh, fried chicken, how lovely!”

At Wonpil’s remark, Jae nudged the box of fried chicken towards him, jerking his head slightly. “You can have some if you want, I don’t think I can finish all of this by myself.”

“Really?” The dark-haired man’s eyes practically shone, twinkling happily from the act of generosity. Jae wasn’t lying anyway, he really could not finish the food, and it would keep Wonpil with him long enough for him to poke and prod with his new project. A win-win situation, by all measures.

“Thank you, I’ll treat you to a meal next time!” Wonpil grinned widely, digging into a chicken wing. Jae merely watched as he ate, his lips subconsciously curling into a small smile. _Oh, jagi, I look forward to breaking you_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work involves a lot of graphic content that may cause discomfort, please take note of the tags before reading. As this fic has questionable characters and even more questionable actions, I'm obligated to mention that I do not condone their behaviour, nor do I wish for the real-life counterparts to be as dark and horrible as the characters in this.

The smile that Jae flashed him was seemingly sincere, but Wonpil could not help but harbour the thought of there being something off with the way the older man smiled. It may sound mean-spirited, but he noticed that Jae showed too many teeth, as if he was aggressively baring his fangs instead of exuding friendliness.

 _God, Wonpil, there’s a perfectly nice and handsome guy who wants to hang out, and you’re already finding his faults?_ Wonpil hissed in his mind, pushing away all of these negative perceptions towards the man as he sipped his drink.

“You know, it’s not very healthy to eat so late at night,” Wonpil spoke up, a conversational effort of sorts.

Jae nodded as he carefully chewed on his chicken, Wonpil following suit with his chicken piece that the other man had generously offered earlier. “I try not to, but sometimes I have night appointments with patients at the clinic so I don’t have the time to have dinner until I get back.”

“Oh, that’s rough.” Wonpil sympathised with him, taking a small sip of his water. “I didn’t know dentists have night appointments like that.”

“Ah, well, it’s not common, but quite a number of my patients request appointments after office hours due to their busy schedules.” Jae clarified, putting his chicken bones away. “I don’t mind, really.”

Before Wonpil could respond, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Slightly annoyed, he pulled it out and glanced impassively at the screen, declining the call when he realised it was his mother again. He’d rather not spoil the mood by speaking to her, as he knew she was not the type to call him just to ‘catch up’. As a temporary solution, he put his phone on silent mode and placed it back into his pocket, hoping she would take the hint; she did.

“So, you’re still studying, right?” Jae asked, a conversational gesture for him to open up to the dentist. Wonpil was grateful that he did not inquire about the declined phone call as they weren’t exactly close enough for him to unlock his tragic backstory or whatever. _Maybe he’s just not the nosy type_ , he mused.

Wonpil tossed the chicken bone into the plastic bag. “Yeah, I’m doing my Master’s in Psychology right now.” He replied, then frowning when he noticed a shift in Jae’s expression. “What?”

Jae shook his head in response, a small smile formed upon his lips. “When I first saw you, I’d have pegged you for a writer or something; you have the air of a very artistic person.” He explained, to which Wonpil scoffed loudly, waving it off with a wide smile.

“I don’t think I have an artistic bone in my entire body.” Wonpil joked, both of them grinning at his joke. “It must be nice to be able to create something out of nothing that could last forever. I mean, look at Vincent van Gogh; he passed away over a hundred years ago, but he’s still relevant and adored until now. Even after his death, he won’t be forgotten, unlike us normal people, we’d end up as just another pile of bones six feet underground.”

All too late, Wonpil realized he was rambling in a wildly morbid manner when he noticed Jae staring at him with a funny expression on his handsome face, as if highly amused. This made him turn beet red in embarrassment. “Sorry, I don’t really know what I’m saying-”

“Oh, nono, it’s fine, you don’t have to apologise,” Jae reassured him with a soft smile, picking up another piece of chicken as he spoke. “Don’t worry about it, _jagiya_.”

There it was again; _jagiya_. If this was coming from virtually anyone else in the entire world, Wonpil would have been immensely annoyed by the nickname given by a stranger, yet he found his heart fluttering slightly at the term of endearment. Perhaps it was because he was not used to anyone calling him that, but it made him flustered nonetheless. “Wh- Why do you call me that?”

Jae stopped chewing upon Wonpil’s sudden inquiry, glancing at him with a small frown. It was cute and unsettling at the same time, as he did not mean to confront the poor guy for having a pet name for him but the pout on the dentist’s face was strangely adorable. “Ah, that… I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

The taller man looked so apologetic about it that Wonpil could not help but blurt out, “N- No! I like it!”

 _Huh? What the hell was that?_ Wonpil began to panic internally, hastily averting his eyes from the now-smiling man. He wasn’t quite sure what it was about Jae, but he found himself saying and thinking things that were so uncommon for him, things he would never say in front of other people. It did not help how smug he looked too, grinning as if he was teasing him. _Maybe he’ll go to work tomorrow and relay an exaggerated story of this awkward moment to his nurses, and they’ll all laugh at how fucking socially inept you are_ , Wonpil thought negatively to himself. _Well, he’s not the type to do that, though_.

The dark-haired man brought the mug to his lips, steadily avoiding Jae’s gaze until he was done with the drink. “You’re very amusing, Wonpil,” Jae said, still smiling at him. 

“You just like how awkward I am, don’t you?” Wonpil pulled a face before the two laughed to break the tension.

“You know, I can see why you study psychology,” Jae spoke up after a moment.

“Oh?”

“You have a heart,” Jae answered simply, to which Wonpil frowned in response.

“Doesn’t everyone, though?” He replied with a question.

Jae cocked his head to the side, a small knowing smile forming upon his lips. “Well, yes, but yours seem to be bigger and purer than most. I think you’ve gone through a lot in life, yet you constantly stand your ground and never let it knock you down. Even with everything that has happened to you, you still have so much passion inside of you, which is why you want to understand the human mind, to improve the world one person at a time. I admire that about you.”

 _What the hell, is there a sign above my head that said ‘CHILDHOOD TRAUMA’ or something?_ Wonpil stared at him as he spoke, processing the blond’s words. “You got that from what, two conversations since I moved in?” Wonpil joked, causing a wide smile to grace the other man’s handsome features.

“Hey, I could be wrong but that’s what I got so far.” Jae raised his hands in mock surrender, a twinkle in his eyes. “You’re not the only one with a little knowledge about human behaviour, you know.”

“Hey, I’m not doubting you, don’t worry about that,” Wonpil replied. “Also, you’re wrong about one thing; I’m a lot of things, but pure isn’t one of them.” Jae laughed at Wonpil’s response, which in turn made him grin as well. 

_Maybe things are not so bad here at Eden Residence_ , he thought to himself. _Not when Jae is around_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to bookmark/subscribe or follow my writing account on Twitter (@wonpilesques) to get the latest updates on new chapters!


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